1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a household appliance and particularly to a household appliance having multiple operating cycles with corresponding factory-set default values that can be set to new default values by a user. Further, the invention relates to a method for simultaneously setting new default values of multiple operating cycles in a household appliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Major household appliances, such as clothes dryers, clothes washers, and dishwashers, typically function according to one or more operating cycles. Each operating cycle comprises a series of steps that essentially correspond to a set of “instructions” telling the household appliance how to execute the operating cycle. For example, a clothes dryer can have multiple drying cycles for particular types of fabric, and the steps of an exemplary drying cycle could be: warm up, dry, and cool down. Each step is defined by certain parameters, such as temperature and time, having an associated setting or value, such as a number or a descriptor.
Typically, the household appliance is provided with factory-set default values for each step of all of the cycles based on empirical data, industry standards, and average user preferences. For example, for household clothes dryers, the factory-set defaults are based on clothing care standards and average user preferences. It is common for the dry times to be selected such that the clothes contain some moisture when the particular dry cycle is completed. In most cases this applies to all of the available dry cycles. Common drying cycles include: Heavy Duty, Permanent Press, Normal, etc.
If a user wants to change a feature of the operating cycle for a single execution of the operating cycle, he or she can commonly temporarily alter that feature through a user interface on the household appliance before or during execution of the operating cycle. When the operating cycle is run again, it will function according to the default values.
However, some users prefer to permanently change a feature of an operating cycle for every use of that operating cycle. In this case, some prior art appliances permit the user to access a controller through the user interface and manually change a default value for one step of an operating cycle to a new default value, such as by entering a particular number. As a result, the user can advantageously configure the operating cycle according to the user's preferences.
However, some users do not fit the “average user” profile and may want to permanently change the default value for all of the cycles. For example, a particular user may like all of their clothes to be “bone dry” (no remaining moisture) for all of the drying cycles. In such a situation, with current dryers, the user would have to individually change the factory-set default values for all of the cycles. The process of individually changing the default values can become cumbersome, annoying, and confusing, especially if the appliance has numerous operating cycles. Thus, it is desirable to permit the user to simultaneously change all of the default values for all of the cycles.